Reply to Reviews
Parousia45
About the songs, I actually have a bunch in mind for season 2. I already created one for Triple G. Don't worry about the running gags, I don't want to overuse them or else they won't be funny anymore. You are a good author yourself. No need to compare since you work on a different type of story than mine.
Dark Arcanine 33
About Season 3, it might come sooner than expected. Stay tuned until the end for more on that. Yeah, it's kind of awkward sometimes when you already plan out the entire elimination list and people's favorite go out a bit early.
Fallenstreet01
Are you sure that Drifblim won't win? No, I actually plan extremely far ahead until Season 3. I had like ten stories in my mind that I'm itching to write. This is what happens when you plan too much ahead.
Worma-Sir
I'm a planner by nature. I don't like to leave gaps because it makes it difficult to write. Shedinja changed because I don't want his character to stagnate. That's why I feel rather pressured writing Shedinja at first, knowing that he will change.
InfernoMaster64
Nosepass is the second character I created, remember? I got big plans for him. The homie boy can win. His weakness is his lack of competitive drive. Drifblim might be screwed by Rhyhorn. That's true. Lucario, the best bully? I'm flattered. I'm pretty sure you are excited to read now so I will end it here.
Episode 24: Crippled Competition
Skarmory spun Furret around before catching her, pulling off a stunt to wow over the viewers.
"Welcome back, viewers. Last time, an impactful twist was revealed." Skarmory started.
"Twelve contestants formed six pairs and competed together in many challenges requiring teamwork." Furret continued.
"The winning team won movie tickets. The losing team…" Skarmory suspended.
"…got eliminated. The twist remained in effect until tomorrow. What will happen this time? Find out in another exciting episode of…" Furret handed the closing line to him this time.
"Total Skarmory Island!" Skarmory shouted, throwing Furret into the air and caught her successfully with his wings. She looked very calm and composed throughout. They must have planned this beforehand. The two kept their eyes peeled on the camera and smiled until the screen transitioned to something else.
Meowth & Co. went to their usual spot in the early morning. The two sat on the sand and turned to each other.
"I still can't believe that I got stuck with that loser, Nosepass! I swear if he makes us lose…" Lucario took deep breaths to calm down.
"You are in the top of the charts, Lucario. Your team got second place yesterday, remember?" Meowth reminded.
"Yes, but I rather work with you or any of the Aura Beast members than that feckless weakling." Lucario abhorred.
"Speaking of the Aura Beast members. How are they?" Meowth asked casually.
"They are doing fine. I trust them to continue training incessantly while I'm here. The pay from Pokeathlon should provide them all the necessities." Lucario answered.
"You can contact me whenever you or your team meet any financial difficulties, Lucario. I hope you know that." Meowth had good intentions. However, this only hurt Lucario's feelings.
"No, Meowth. I have too much pride for that. I can survive on my own. I'm the last Pokemon in this world that needs any sympathy. The pay from Pokeathlon is more than the million here." Lucario assured, shaking his head. He sounded amused by the suggestion but a hint of perturbation burrowed itself underneath his stoic expression.
"Interesting… Money can't buy everything it seems, like good health and emotional well-being." Meowth acknowledged.
"I have saved enough to fund my little brother's tuition in the most prestigious school of my country. We can now afford extra comfort. I'm far from poor despite the shabby look of my apartment. I just don't like to spend on unnecessary things." Lucario told.
"Very wise. Your little brother should be proud to have such a beast of a brother on his side." Meowth complimented.
"Yes, but I prefer my brother to not follow my path. He should live a better life." Lucario's downcast eyes reflected upon the soft, retreating wave.
"I can understand. Being a professional athlete doesn't have any job security plus, injuries can put a damper on your career." Meowth assumed and Lucario nodded.
"There is another reason. Living like me is living like a monster. You either crush your opponents or be crushed! Not everyone can be a winner. I share no sentiments with those pathetic losers that grovel beneath me. Whether they starve or not isn't my problem. I shall plunge their heads under the mud while my team stand on the victory podium!" Lucario spoke like a sociopath. Meowth agreed with everything he said.
Confessional
Lucario: "Nosepass, a pathetic loser like you stand no chance against me. Honestly, you don't deserve me as a partner. Neither do you have the right to remain in this competition. You are just lucky that Archeops is an equally pathetic leader that doesn't get rid of her weakest link. What an unworthy disgrace to the spirit of competitiveness."
Meowth: "Lucario gets along with me very well. We share the same ideals and principles. However, I can't win this game alone with him by my side. I need more allies to fight against that traitorous employee."
Meowth invited Aromatisse over to his table inside the mess hall.
"What do you need, Meowth?" Aromatisse asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Just a small conversation. We are teammates, after all." Meowth replied, gesturing for her to sit.
Aromatisse sat, staring at him with distrust.
"How is your face?" Meowth asked, starting off slow and indirect.
"Getting better. If that is all, I will leave." Aromatisse was about to get off her chair.
"Wait! I know that I sabotaged our relations quite a bit." Meowth held his hands together on the table. "However, I believe it is in the best of our interests to merge our businesses together so that we can compete against a much more dangerous threat." He persuaded, smiling persuasively.
"Not just a bit, Meowth. You tore Houndour and Duosion apart as well as Ledyba and Scolipede. Yet, you want an alliance with me? Fat chance." Aromatisse glared at him before leaving.
"The meeting isn't over yet. Come back! Please." Meowth pleaded to no avail as Aromatisse left. He tumbled down from his chair.
Confessional
Meowth: "There must be a way to win her over." Meowth tapped his chin. "Otherwise, I need to make a deal with Rhyhorn. I don't think I'm that desperate yet."
Aromatisse: "The nerve of that guy. Just because we are teammates doesn't mean I will join his evil business."
Duosion saw Farfetch'd talking with Mr. Stalk in the forest area. She decided to stop by since he was her teammate after all.
"Farfetch'd, what are you doing?" Duosion asked bafflingly. She didn't get why he was talking to a 'non-living' object.
"Mr. Stalk feels guilty about sneaking into the cinema without paying for a ticket multiple times. The guards were so incompetent that they never saw him. Since the second ticket is for my girlfriend, I will buy the third one for him." Farfetch'd told, sounding quite serious.
"Farfetch'd, Mr. Stalk is a non-living object. You know that, right?" Duosion couldn't comprehend him. She sounded a bit condescending unintentionally.
"Rude! Mr. Stalk is very much a breathing, living creature." Farfetch'd sounded offended. "Mrs. Gren can vouch for that."
"Who is this 'Mrs. Gren'? I doubt that she is a trustworthy source." Duosion doubted.
"I'm disappointed, Duosion. Mr. Stalk can't believe that you never learn biology. Mrs. Gren is my teacher. She told me that Mr. Stalk is alive because he can move swiftly like the wind…" Farfetch'd said dramatically as he slashed thin air.
"Mr. Stalk can respire…" Farfetch'd inhaled and exhaled.
"Mr. Stalk is sensitive to your insensitive words…" Farfetch'd glared at Duosion while pointing Mr. Stalk at her. Duosion looked uncomfortable.
"Mr. Stalk grows stronger and taller every year. He has a son and he also consumes nutrients. We thought that you are smarter. It is now clearly evident that you can't get along with us." Farfetch'd shook his head alongside Mr. Stalk before leaving. Duosion was at a loss for words.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "We realize it now that we can't judge a book by its cover. Duosion is not so smart after all. Mr. Stalk is disappointed to have such an ignorant partner."
Duosion: "Regardless of what he says, Mr. Stalk is a non-living object. It has no conscience or any intelligence. Farfetch'd is a delusional anti-social freak with an imaginary friend."
In the Crazy Crawdaunt girls' cabin…
Privately, Drifblim was writing something down on her diary. It was an analysis of Cryogonal, whom elimination took place yesterday.
After she finished and was about to write Shedinja's, Heracross entered without knocking. Drifblim lifted her gaze, annoyed at the sudden appearance of the beetle.
"Girl, I'm happy. Shedinja's gone! Woo-hoo! Hell yeah!" Heracross celebrated loudly, grinning. "What are you writing about? Give me a peek."
Heracross threw herself on the bed Drifblim sat on. The superfan faked a small smile, trying to not look suspicious.
"Oh, nothing special. Just recording some stuff about the contestants to put on my blog later on." Drifblim allowed Heracross to read.
"Great, girl." Heracross commented as she glanced over the content. "Although, make sure to write good stuff about me like Heracross is the mightiest, the strongest, the most awesome. She is the badass that destroys that loser, Shedinja. He sucks. He is stupid. He is the meathead. Do it for your friend, alright?"
"Sure, girl. Heracross got the street smarts. She is the boss around here. She leads a powerful alliance of powerhouses like Archeops, Miltank and myself." Drifblim went along with it until Heracross left, rolling her eyes at the end.
Confessional
Heracross: "I know that I can count on her. Drifblim never let me down once. Now, I feel much better. Shedinja is going to get humiliated while I will look cool."
Drifblim: "Heracross, sorry but I don't lie to fellow game show fanatics. Even though Shedinja disappointed me, he is still a lot better than you. Even if you are my 'friend', I still believe that you don't deserve to win this game."
Nosepass forced the sludge down sluggishly in the mess hall, sighing. Every day was the same, surrounded by crappy food and crazy contestants. Sometimes, Nosepass felt like the sanest among the group filled with quirky and extreme personalities. He was just a coward, plain and simple. What if he was scared of a detective show? At least he wasn't hyperventilating at the sight of a purple cape.
Maybe there was more to him than that. However, Nosepass couldn't be confident in the slightest.
Speaking of the devil, his big brother suddenly nudged him from behind.
"Ah!" Nosepass screamed in fear, trembling. "Who or what are you?" He covered his eyes.
"Big brother." Rhyhorn answered, clear and simple.
Nosepass turned to face him, his face glowing pinkish red. Rhyhorn gave him a consoling look.
"It's okay… After you are done with your food, find me at the peak of the mountain area. I will tell you everything then." Rhyhorn appointed the summit as the place of revelation.
"Really? You will tell me, everything?" Nosepass wanted reconfirmation. Rhyhorn nodded with a weak smile. The coward now had a reason to finish his special delicacy faster.
Confessional
Nosepass: "Finally, after him staying silent and secretive for so long… I will get to understand my big brother."
Rhyhorn waited patiently at the summit as Nosepass crawled his way up slowly. The big brother gave an encouraging smile to the panting little brother as he ascended.
Rhyhorn rejoiced to see Nosepass improving. Unlike the other times, Nosepass didn't complain. Perhaps, he wanted to please his big brother in this special occasion.
Nosepass gave it his all, eager to hear the truth. Eventually, he reached the top.
"Good job." Rhyhorn said proudly as Nosepass collapsed next to him.
Nosepass smiled, relishing the moment. "Can you please tell me everything now?" He asked impatiently, getting up in a sitting position.
"Before that, do you know why I chose this place?" Rhyhorn asked.
"Err, you want me to… exercise?" Nosepass guessed. Rhyhorn chuckled.
"Partially." Rhyhorn had another reason. "I just want you to look at things from a high vantage point and compare it to when you are down in the dirt. Don't you feel powerful?"
"Yeah, I feel… great." Nosepass couldn't express the rare feeling inside him accurately.
"Don't you also feel like everything beneath you is rather insignificant and inferior compare to yourself?" Rhyhorn queried.
"I guess. Why do you ask me these deep questions? If they are too deep, I will drown and I can't swim!" Nosepass uttered a joking metaphor. Was he trying to be funny? Neither himself or Rhyhorn seemed amused.
"I figure that you never know what it feels like to have power like those powers-that-be like Lucario. Little brother, some view themselves too highly and some view themselves too lowly. You are among the latter. I want you to experience power for once. It will serve you well in the future." Rhyhorn tried to convey a message that Nosepass struggled to understand. The observant guy obviously noticed how Nosepass cocked his head in confusion.
"I'm sure you will understand sooner or later. I won't delay it any further now. This is what happened to me five years ago…" Rhyhorn lowered his head down the mountain as he spoke.
(Here is the thing, Rhyhorn's explanation clearly isn't detailed enough to create a vivid imagery in your mind. Of course, Skarmory got no footage of Rhyhorn's past. Therefore, let the author uses his divine authority to warp all of us back through time. Note: All real names will be hidden.)
Young Rhyhorn (age 13) resided in a lousy dwelling he called home with his parents. It was a warm, cozy little place with a chimney. The fire underneath it was the only light source in this masonry house. The walls and floor were all made out of stone. There was no bed, no extra floors. Just one moderate size room with a few pillows on the ground and basic furniture like chairs, wooden chests and a table.
On the table were books of various sorts, ranging from topics like law to food, science to sports.
Rhyhorn's Mom hummed to herself as she heated frozen package meat with the fireplace. It was unorthodox but passable.
For a female Rhyperior, her figure was thin. This was due to lack of proper nutrition. However, she seemed pleasantly happy with her every-day life. Perhaps, she didn't mind to live poorly. After all, she couldn't ask for anything more than her hardworking husband and ingenious son.
Young Rhyhorn knocked on the door. "Mom, I'm back." He called affectionately before entering. The boy carried a tattered backpack on his back.
"Oh, come here, Rhyhorn! Have a meat snack." Mrs. Rhyperior gestured, glad to see her lovable son once again. Rhyhorn rushed over to her arms immediately.
"How's your day?" Mrs. Rhyperior asked, caressing his horn.
"Top of the class like always. Everyone is nice to me. Although, it's a bit unfortunate that my teacher couldn't answer my questions." Rhyhorn sounded disappointed. Mrs. Rhyperior sighed.
"I-no, we are sorry, Rhyhorn. We are so sorry for not being about to send you to a better school. Government-funded schools aren't the best, are they?" Mrs. Rhyperior said guiltily. Rhyhorn widened his eyes. He didn't mean to guilt-trip her.
"No, mom! It's okay. I understand. Look, I borrowed books from the library." Rhyhorn dumped the content of his backpack, revealing a library card and several books about advanced subjects.
"That's my son. You have always been able to find a different way to do things." Mrs. Rhyperior felt proud. "Let's eat now before it gets cold." She suggested.
"This is a bit too early. What about dad, shouldn't we wait for him?" Rhyhorn asked worriedly.
"Dad will come home very late. The boss wants him to work overtime today. I will cook something for him at night. Besides, your dad probably wants his son to eat on time." Mrs. Rhyperior reasoned.
"Dad's boss again?! I'm tired of that greedy, corporate monster exploiting his workers like slaves!" Rhyhorn yelled out in rage.
"Watch your language, Rhyhorn!" Mrs. Rhyperior scolded.
"Sorry, mom. I'm just worried about dad." Rhyhorn apologized.
"My poor son… I'm sorry as well." Mrs. Rhyperior consoled her son for a few moments. Afterwards, the two ate their meat economically, not wasting even a tiny bit of it.
Rhyhorn studied late in the night, anticipating his dad's arrival. Just before his bedtime, Mr. Rhyperior entered their inadequate but strangely warm house.
Mr. Rhyperior was drenched in sweat. His face was covered in dirt and dust. He looked very worn-out and exhausted. Even worse, there was a bruise on his head. All because of his occupation…
He worked as a construction worker, doing all sort of dangerous manual labor to earn income for his family of three. Even though he was a man in his forties, his bulky muscles were still noticeable and nothing to scoff at. Yet, the drudgery took a toll on his health. He must hate his job, right? Well…
"Son, honey, I'm back!" Mr. Rhyperior announced, smiling.
"Dad!" Rhyhorn stopped his revision and leaped into Mr. Rhyperior's arms. "Why are you back so late?"
"Easy there, son." Mr. Rhyperior rubbed his son's head, moving his eyes over to his wife. She was holding a plate of spicy, meaty drumsticks.
"Rhyhorn, take it easy on your dad. Let him eat first. We can talk later." Mrs. Rhyperior suggested, placing the plate down on the table.
"Let's eat." Rhyhorn nudged Mr. Rhyperior, leading him to the table.
Despite poverty, the man couldn't ask for anything else other than his family. The family that would always care for him. Mr. Rhyperior widened his smile as he followed his son to the table.
Mr. Rhyperior bit the drumstick and pulled the meat out, munching the tasty dinner. The spicy flavor fueled him with energy once more.
"Ah, delicious as always." Mr. Rhyperior commented. Mrs. Rhyperior seemed happy to hear that.
"Dad, how is work?" Rhyhorn asked with concern. "It is bad, isn't it? You got a bruise on your head."
"Not that bad at all, son. Mr. Jolteon is a nice boss. I got this injury because I wasn't careful. I got hit by a metal pole thingy in construction sites." Mr. Rhyperior wasn't a man of many words. Neither was his wife. That was why Rhyhorn kept his vocabulary rather simple in front of them.
"You mean a girder?" Rhyhorn guessed.
"Probably, son. Anyways, have a drumstick, son." Mr. Rhyperior offered.
"Dad, you should eat. You work really hard." Rhyhorn rejected.
"Son, you should eat. You are still growing and you study really hard." Mr. Rhyperior insisted and Rhyhorn accepted hesitantly. "I'm sure that you will have a successful future ahead. We are saving money to get you into a better school right now. I'm sure you will be in one soon. Mr. Jolteon gives me 300 P per day. What a nice guy."
"Dad, the minimum wage law states that each Pokemon should earn at least 400 P minimum per day if they work over six hours. You work over ten! In addition, Mr. Jolteon violates the law by not providing you with proper safety equipment. You should sue him!" Rhyhorn indicated.
"Son, let's not talk about this… I'm sure he means no harm." Mr. Rhyperior averted his eyes. As an uneducated man, he was rather gullible. If someone told him to do something, he would do it without asking any questions. Mrs. Rhyperior was no different.
Rhyhorn didn't know how to get his message across without hurting their feelings. The young genius didn't want to patronize or act condescending in front of his parents.
"Son, you should sleep now. You need to wake up early for school tomorrow." Mrs. Rhyperior advised.
Rhyhorn sighed. "Fine, mom. Dad, just be careful, alright?"
"Of course, I will be. Don't worry, son." Mr. Rhyperior assured.
The three soon slept. However, Rhyhorn shivered in the middle of the night. He got roused up by a mysterious force. The boy glanced around, having a feeling that someone or something was watching them. However, he found nothing and decided to head back to sleep.
The very next day…
Rhyhorn just finished school. Classes were easy like always. While the other kids panicked and scratched their heads, Rhyhorn easily dominated all of the questions alongside two other kids: Bronzor and Baltoy.
"Rhyhorn, let's do our homework together. Get it done and over with." Bronzor invited the rocky genius to their table. However, Rhyhorn was so focused on something that he totally ignored them.
"Sheesh, cold. Just because you are the smartest kid in school doesn't mean you can treat us like we are nobodies. I'm only the second smartest kid in the school by a small margin, remember that!" Bronzor shouted before turning to his buddy, Baltoy. "How can he ignore us like that?"
"Who cares anyways? The homework literally is a piece of cake. We don't need him." Baltoy didn't get it.
"This is why you are only the third smartest kid in the school." Baltoy took offense to Bronzor's words. "The homework isn't the point, I'm just trying to use that as an excuse. It's all about the collectivism. Us three are the only guys that visit the library. We should stick together against those muscle-brain bullies like Ninetales. Can you believe that she called me a stupid plate and threatened to throw me down Mt. Magmorlava, a dormant volcano that last erupted 800 years ago? What an insolent imbecile. Wait until I learn Rain Dance…"
"Oh, I get it now. You want Rhyhorn to protect you since he is possibly the strongest kid in the school. Where's your pride, man?" Baltoy accused.
"No, what makes you think that? I'm just trying to… form an alliance. Remember those old history books that we read? The ones about countries forming coalitions and alliances against one and another. This is no different than that. Let's call our alliance the Library Club." Bronzor created a name for their 'alliance'.
"A better name would be the Library Late Fee Club. You always turn in those books late, man. I know that you have a crush on the librarian and all but you don't need to try to impress her that way. It's not romantic." Baltoy shook his head in disapproval.
"Someone like you doesn't understand love, you have no right to criticize me." Bronzor looked a bit flustered.
"I actually have a crush on… someone." Baltoy blushed.
"Who is it?" Bronzor asked curiously.
"Come closer." Baltoy beckoned. Once his friend did, Baltoy started whispering. "There is this Archeops girl. Not only she is thirteen years old like me, she has a long list of accomplishments. She is a valedictorian for her primary school, the leader of many school clubs. Basically, she is the perfect role model student. Her father is a politician and her mother is a university teacher with a doctor's degree. Best of all, she is about to visit our school to donate some basic school supplies. I want to take a picture with her and ask for her autograph." Baltoy fanboyed.
"You poor kid…" Bronzor shook his head.
"Poor kid?" Baltoy said in a confused tone.
"I hate to burst your bubble but I don't think she will ever go out with you. Be realistic here, you are just one nerdy, geeky kid. This Archeops girl will probably go out with the jocks and those cool kids like that Lucario guy that battled our school's battle team last semester. That beast obliterated ten members of our team all at once by himself. The best part is obviously when he punched Ninetales' face. I bet they will be a match made in heaven." Bronzor believed. (Err…)
"Hey, I know I'm her type. She prefers guys that can empathize with her stress. Someone around her level. Someone that isn't a burden to her (Tyrunt) and not too overbearing (Lucario). I fit the description perfectly." Baltoy told.
"How did you know these things?" Bronzor raised his left eye.
"You know me well, man. I got a wide variety of skills. I can hack, I can blackmail and my ultimate technique…" Baltoy paused to build suspense. Bronzor rolled his eyes.
"Begging." Baltoy revealed anti-climatically. "I basically use my hacking skills to find one of her friends and blackmail her into revealing everything. Sadly, that girl is a hard shell to crack and in the end, I resort to begging."
"Awesome, man. I'm sure you will be useful in the alliance. With your hacking, blackmailing, begging skills, Rhyhorn's intelligence and my charisma, the Library Late Fee Club will destroy those jerks like Ninetales. Put your skills into good work for me and blackmail her." Bronzor ordered.
"Sure, man." Baltoy nodded. "Although, I don't think charisma suits you and Rhyhorn overshadows your intelligence."
"Really? I'm pretty sure that charisma is my second-best attribute. The lovely librarian said so. But I digress, Rhyhorn really is one special dude. Who the hell knows the cement manufacturing process from inside out at the age of thirteen? I want to make an excuse but perhaps, I'm well off admitting that he is smarter than me." Bronzor acknowledged.
"Yeah, he is on a completely different level than us. I can understand his drive and motivation though. His family is the poorest around these parts of Lesteel. His father is a construction worker and his mother is a mere housewife." Baltoy expanded the conversation.
"I think we waste enough time chittering-chattering. Let's be responsible and do our homework." Bronzor suggested.
Rhyhorn had a mission of his own today. He wasn't a passive, bystander guy. He would spring into action if anyone dares to harm his family. Mr. Jolteon better be thinking twice before messing with him.
The observant genius secretly analyzed his father's working environment. Rhyhorn tried to avoid his father's sight, wanting to ease him of his worries. Currently, Mr. Rhyperior was building a patio for someone's house, carrying a bag of cement.
He wasn't equipped with safety equipment like dust mask, goggle, gloves, safety helmet and etc. Furthermore, there was no proper break, no standard sanitation, lack of supervision and more and more. Rhyhorn jotted everything down, compiling a huge list of violations.
Still, Rhyhorn couldn't help but to smile as his father still managed to keep a genuinely happy face. Someone was about to pay, big time.
Mr. Jolteon drank a cup of cappuccino in his luxurious, king-sized office, decorated with rare paintings (original versions) bought from various famous art museums. There was no shortage of jewelry around his room either. He was born in a wealthy family of landowners, easily one of the richest Pokemon in the world.
Since Mr. Jolteon got overabundance of land, why not build stuff for fun and create a construction company? His construction company was called Eonstructions, one of his many investment projects.
Suddenly, someone contacted him on the phone.
"Ha, laughable. A filthy clodhopper threatening to sue me? Kick him out of the building. I got millions of lawyers anyways. He can try but it won't work with my unlimited wealth. Bribery is rich men's best friend, they say." Mr. Jolteon found it amusing, hanging up.
"I won't let you get away with this!" Rhyhorn shouted before getting kicked out of the building. He couldn't even get past the first floor. The security was extremely tight.
Rhyhorn muttered a few unpleasant words under his breath as he walked away. Suddenly, his mind was overwhelmed by psychic energy and he fainted. He didn't see the pain coming or even react to it. It was done in an instant.
The young genius woke up to see himself chained in a cement factory. Looking around, he found cement mills and piles of clinker. Unsurprisingly, he found the Eonstructions logo.
"Jolteon, how dare you?! Exploiting my dad isn't enough, huh? Do you need to commit more crimes for me to add to the list? Do you want to set a world record or something? Just *beep* reveal yourself!" Rhyhorn rampaged against the chains to no avail.
Suddenly, an empty purple cape with no wearer teleported itself in front of him. Inside, was a voice transmitter.
"Nice technology. I'm sure you use the money you robbed from my dad all these years to build it." Rhyhorn still assumed that Jolteon was the culprit, while being sarcastic at the same time.
"You are dearly mistaken. I have no connection with him." A voice of a middle age man was heard.
"Liar." Rhyhorn refused to believe.
The mysterious being chuckled. "I will be straight with you. I'm here to offer you an invitation to a game of life and death because I have grown interested in you. You will compete with the other contestants. If you lose, you die. If you win, you live. How does that sound?"
"Jolteon, you psychopath. Wait until my parents call the police and come here to save me!" Rhyhorn shouted stubbornly.
The mysterious being chuckled again. "I will take that as a 'no'. Normally, I kill anyone that refuses the offer. However, you are special. I never see someone like you before. Therefore, I will make this one a special exception. To be honest, we are both pretty similar. You love your parents. I love my father. We are also both intelligent. However, you aren't similar enough to me…"
"Moneybags, you only love your father because of his money. I won't believe your words, Jolteon!" Rhyhorn sounded confident.
The mysterious being laughed out loud. "Fine, fine, suppose I'm Jolteon. Can he do this though?" Immediately, the cape dropped down to the ground and the mysterious being communicated with Rhyhorn through telepathy.
"So, you are a psychic, an extremely strong one that is capable of telepathy. What's the point then? You are probably hired by Jolteon. Are you trying to cause confusion and cover up for your master?" Rhyhorn didn't buy it.
"Rhyhorn, I swear in the name of my father's mutilated corpse that I'm in fact something else. An artificially created Pokemon. My father died one thousand years ago. Some said he got obliterated by the royal army, some said the legendary hero finished him, some even dared to disgrace my father, saying that a pathetic shell creature outsmarted him." The voice grew vengeful.
"I got no time to hear your sappy story. Since you considered me an exception, release me." Rhyhorn demanded.
"What an entitled audience you are. Aren't you fearless…? Nobody ridicules and degrades me the way you do and I… like it. I feel rather lonely, sleeping inside a cloning chamber for a millennium. I want entertainment. I want to watch Pokemon kill each other to survive. Hunt each other like feral creatures. I also want to see a clone of myself." The mysterious being stated its intentions.
"Find someone else! I'm done hearing your sick story." Rhyhorn ran out of patience.
"The audacity of you. The nerve… To be degraded by a mere mortal like this… I will let you know that I also have feelings. I can feel anger and sadness like any other Pokemon. It won't be my sick story any further. It's your sick story now." The voice turned devilish, sending the chills down Rhyhorn.
Out of nowhere, Mr. and Mrs. Rhyperior appeared. They both had shocked expressions on their faces as they were held in the air by psychokinesis control.
"Son, what's going-Ah!" Mr. Rhyperior screamed in agony as his arms got ripped off cruelly.
"Honey-Ah!" Mrs. Rhyperior screamed as the same thing happened to her.
Rhyhorn was petrified, hyperventilating badly. "Stop! P-please stop!" He closed his eyes, only for the psychic to force them open.
"You will watch and grow to love blood like me!" The mysterious being shouted psychopathically.
Their legs got ripped off by the mysterious being next. They were like cheap figurines being dismembered by a naughty child. Blood splattered on Rhyhorn's face. He was too young to witness such… gore and brutality.
"You will drink alcohol every night and mourn over the loss of your parents like I do for my father!" The mysterious being continued the torture.
The two Rhyperior grimaced and screamed in endless agony as the psychic tore their body parts off one by one in front of their son.
"Finally, you will never see your parents again…" The psychic decapitated them for good, putting them out of their miseries. The cut was extremely precise.
The psychic left. Rhyhorn was freed at the price of his parents.
"M-mom…d-dad…" Rhyhorn stuttered, staggering over to their severed heads before collapsing unconsciously on the bloody mess.
The following day…
Mr. Jolteon exited his gigantic building, heading to his private limousine. Along the way, he got a call from his Sylveon wife.
"Honey, I know that today is Eevee's birthday. You don't need to remind me. I will buy a seven-layer cake for her because she is seven-years old now. Isn't it gr-Argh!" Mr. Jolteon screamed in pain as Rhyhorn stabbed his side with his horn.
"Die! You want me to love blood so, I will love to bath in your blood. Hahaha…" Rhyhorn entered a state of insanity. Rhyhorn stabbed him again and again until he bled severely.
"Security! Help!" Mr. Jolteon called desperately.
In the end, Mr. Jolteon got hospitalized just in time before his death. As a result, Rhyhorn only got charged with attempt murder. The young genius got imprisoned for four years. Actually, more than that but he got out on parole.
Inside the prison, Rhyhorn learned how to make traps, determined to capture the psychic someday.
As a drawback, he lost his title as the observant genius. Many others soon surpassed him in terms of intelligence.
Rhyhorn researched gameshows after he left the prison, trying to find this game of life and death. However, none of the results matched his specifications. When he glanced over to a page showcasing the casting call for Total Skarmory Island, Rhyhorn decided to compete to fund his research with the prize money.
Confessional
Rhyhorn: "I really do wonder if everything could be prevented if I talked a little less. That is why I prefer to be silent. Still, this doesn't mean that I'm a passive bystander. I might be traumatized from the incident and I might be mentally deranged. But no matter what, I will end the game of life and death." He looked very determined and resolved.
Nosepass: He looked terrified. "Death? I understand now why he wants me to distance myself from him and I will… gladly do so." He averted his eyes, ashamed with himself. "I don't want to d-die. The most I can do for him is to take Lucario down with me to improve his odds of winning this game. He deserves the prize money more than anyone."
Skarmory instructed all the contestants to gather inside Chef Drapion Grill for the continuation of the challenge. As a reminder, five teams of two must race through six different stations before heading toward Skarmory. The last team to arrive in front of him would be automatically eliminated.
This time, the restaurant received a complete overhaul. Bonsai trees gave the place ornamental and traditional feels. Chairs got replaced with wooden stools. Spoons, forks and knives changed into chopsticks. Say good bye to fresh water, say hello to bitter tea (Skarmory's favorite).
Most importantly, multiple tables got replaced with one gigantic table in the middle. On it was an oval shaped sushi conveyor belt. The sushi plates that revolved around included many special delicacies on the menu like Magikarp Sushi, Feebas Sushi, Octillery Sushi, Crawdaunt Arms and Flygon Sashimi.
While there were limited quantities of these delicacies, Chef Drapion got more in store for them. There was another separate, one-way, straight line conveyor belt connecting the kitchen hatch to the oval sushi conveyor belt. Chef Drapion could refill for the challenge if necessary. However, this wasn't the layout of modern conveyor belt sushi restaurants. In the end, Chef Drapion Grill resembled a pathetic try-hard sushi restaurant knock-off.
Chef Drapion's station tested if the teams could stick together. Each member must hold a single chopstick and cooperate with their teammate to collect one of every item on the menu. The belt moved pretty fast so chop-chop, get to work!
Team Psycho Stalkers got off to a pretty good start. They didn't communicate much but they were skilled at handling the chopsticks. They got two out of the five items already.
Confessional
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk persuades the chopsticks to cooperate with us. However, Duosion never thanks him for it."
Duosion: "I don't even want to talk with Farfetch'd anymore. He is crazy. We agree to shut up and just do the challenge to the best of our ability."
Drifblim nudged Rhyhorn, whose chopstick was inside his mouth.
"Let us try our best today. I know that you are strong and capable. Nosepass wants to see you pass through this round, am I right?" Drifblim said with her persuasive voice.
Rhyhorn returned silence. Drifblim frowned a little.
Confessional
Drifblim: "Basically, I need to do everything by myself. Thanks, Rhyhorn." She said sarcastically. "Ugh, I don't get him."
Heracross used her chopstick like a spear. She stabbed the sushi before pulling it back. It didn't work as she intended. The sushi nearly collapsed instead. It was opened to nabbing from the other teams.
"My chopstick is broken!" Heracross whined, frustrated that her technique failed.
"Homie, you should-" Darmanitan tried to offer advice.
"Shut up, homie boy! Those two losers stole our sushi. Hey, give it back!" Heracross demanded from Team High Expense.
"Fellow customer, we didn't mean to-" Meowth flinched as Heracross threw her chopstick at him. Luckily, she missed his head narrowly. The chopstick broke as it collided against the bonsai tree.
"It's mine! Give it back!" Heracross asserted her 'ownership'.
"Homie, stop! If you miss it, someone else should get it. That's how sushi belt works. The food goes in circles or ovals and whatever. Zen teaches us that opportunity will come by again if we are patient." Darmanitan held her left shoulder with his right arm only for Heracross to slap it away.
"Homie boy, I don't want to hear your stupid life lessons. I want my sushi. I only get to eat crap on the streets!" Heracross yelled.
"Instead of sushi, you *beep* will get to eat my penalty potatoes! This is what happens when you break my chopstick. It is coming out of my check!" Chef Drapion penalized Team Chillhorns, forcing them to eat a bowl of distasteful potatoes. Heracross looked even more frustrated while Darmanitan hung his head low.
Confessional
Heracross: "It's homie boy's fault! He should have helped me. God, he is *beep* useless."
Darmanitan: "Chill, not grill. Chill, not grill…" Darmanitan took deep breaths.
Aromatisse: "She deserves that. Even if I don't like Meowth, he is still my teammate after all. We need to work together so that both of us will be safe."
Meowth: "Heracross, do you want me to call my bodyguard?" He clenched his fists.
Speaking of the bodyguard, Lucario ran around the conveyor belt furiously. The professional athlete dragged Nosepass around like a ragged doll with his left hand, holding a plate and chopstick with his right.
"Because you are useless, I will do everything by myself." Lucario tightened his grip on Nosepass' right hand and coordinated the movements of the two chopsticks by himself. The coward gave a quiet yelp as Lucario was being rough. Since the beast was also holding a plate and couldn't properly place the item, he hurled it up into the air, releasing Nosepass and finally using his free hand to raise the plate up to obtain the item. He repeated the steps five times and finished first.
The other teams dropped their jaws as Lucario basically crushed the station all by himself. Rhyhorn feigned astonishment only to be secretly happy for Nosepass.
Confessional
Nosepass: "How am I supposed to throw the challenge when he can just do something like that?!"
Lucario: "Nosepass is basically a handicap. I have no teammate. This is a one-man team and I will just hustle twice as hard to win."
Chef Drapion gave Team Strong and Weak the stamp and directed them to exit the desert area. The Lucario Express carried Nosepass without his consent, locking his legs to secure him. Along the way, Lucario decided to belittle Nosepass some more.
"How does it feel to be babied throughout the entire challenge? You should thank me for carrying you to the next round, weakling." Lucario said with spite.
Nosepass didn't reply, showing no reaction.
"You only made it this far because Archeops is a pathetic, selfish leader. She wants to keep you until the finale so that she can easily win this game. In my team, there are no alliances and I always get the final call. I want Feebas out, she is out. The same applies for Magikarp, Oddish, Meowstic, Aromatisse and Houndour. Machoke is the only exception." Lucario said rather arrogantly.
"I don't care about what you are trying to say. I prefer Archeops as my leader over you any day." Nosepass responded. Lucario found that laughable.
"How fitting, a weak member in a team with a weak leader. No wonder why the leadership got passed down to that pathetic betrayer Grovyle. Leaders that betray their team disgust me even more than selfish, incompetent leaders." Lucario spat.
Nosepass got nothing to say in defense of his leaders. Not like he cared about them anyways. He feared for his safety the most.
Confessional
Lucario: "None of the Crazy Crawdaunt members deserve to be called a leader. Everyone except Meowth in the Feckless Flygon also doesn't deserve me as their leader. How could they leave my side? I did so much for them every single challenge. I care for them like I care for the Aura Beasts. I can't resonate with those fools." His good intentions were blinded by his pride and arrogance.
Team Psycho Stalkers soon finished in second, alongside Team High Expense. Team Chillhorns were finally done with their penalty.
"I'm full, homie boy." Heracross burped.
"Me too, homie." Darmanitan rubbed his belly.
Drifblim was forced to use the push method. Sometimes, this worked. Sometimes, the sushi toppled over. At the very least, they eventually finished as Drifblim pushed the Crawdaunt Arm onto her plate with a single chopstick.
Drifblim gave the plate to Chef Drapion before handing him the booklet.
"Chef, why is your restaurant so behind the times? Sushi restaurants nowadays use those fancy sushi boats-" Drifblim sassed.
"Stop complaining! It costs money. I will stuff your cheeky smartass on that stupid sushi boat and light it on fire!" Chef Drapion angrily threw the booklet at Drifblim, who caught it and quickly left.
Confessional
Drifblim: "Worth it."
Chef Drapion: He fumed. "This is my restaurant. Those goddamn contestants have no rights to criticize my property!"
Palossand opened his arms, waiting for the embrace from the contestants at the exit of the desert area. Next to him were five empty water buckets with multiple holes on the bottom. Ten per bucket.
In addition, there was a big measuring cylinder with a red line on top.
"Want a hug or an explanation?" Palossand asked.
"Explanation, hurry up!" Lucario scowled, tapping his feet impatiently.
Palossand sniffled. "Meanie, I just want a hug. Fine, just fill up the bucket with the water from the oasis over there." He pointed to a far, far away oasis. "Make sure to block the holes and fill up this measuring cylinder. If the water reaches the red line, you pass. If not, start again." The sandcastle finished his explanation.
The Lucario Express wasted no time, departing with its passenger to the oasis in a span of seconds.
The professional athlete filled up the bucket and used Nosepass' body to block the holes forcefully.
"Hey! I don't agree to this." Nosepass objected.
"You have no right." Lucario ignored him completely and walked with fast, long steps back to Palossand. The water leaked out a bit as Nosepass squirmed in the grasp of the athlete.
"I hate you." Nosepass muttered, before smirking. He used his nose to enlarge a hole and water dribbled down Lucario's left palm.
The professional athlete glared inside the bucket, surprised to see a nose piercing through the bucket.
"What the hell?!" Lucario threw Nosepass away and kicked the bucket back to the oasis.
"Ouch." Nosepass yelped as he collided with the ground.
"Are you trying to sabotage?!" Lucario accused.
"No, you are just making me uncomfortable." Nosepass defended.
"Gah!" Lucario pulled his ears.
Confessional
Nosepass: "Yes, I finally did something to slow Lucario down."
Lucario: "I will keep my eyes on him." He looked serious.
Team Chillhorns still struggled as Heracross never listened to Darmanitan.
"Why is my technique not working?" Heracross continued to spear-fishing the sushi.
"Homie, if you want to do it by yourself. At least, use Drifblim-" Darmanitan got interrupted, dropping Magikarp Sushi down their plate.
"I will *beep* do it the way I *beep* want!" Heracross swore.
"Enough! Homie, I'm done! Do it yourself." Darmanitan snapped, folding his arms.
"Fine, I don't need you anyways. Aha! I did it!" Heracross shouted jubilantly as her spear-fishing method worked miraculously. However, she got another Magikarp Sushi so it didn't count.
"*beep*!" Heracross stomped on the ground in rage.
Confessional
Heracross: "Homie boy sucks. He isn't competitive enough."
Darmanitan: "I'm done with her. Good luck doing all the challenges by yourself when you aren't Lucario."
Team Psycho Stalkers recently got their bucket and made their way to the oasis, glancing at Nosepass sympathetically as he dealt with Lucario's tantrums.
The journey was extremely quiet as the two barely spoke a word to each other until they reached the oasis.
"Mr. Stalk got an idea he wants to share with you." Farfetch'd told.
"Stop toying around, Farfetch'd. Mr. Stalk got no intelligence." Duosion seemed annoyed.
"Mr. Stalk said that you are the one with no intelligence." Farfetch'd retorted. Duosion now looked infuriated.
"Please just help me with the challenge. Should I go under the bucket to block the holes like Nosepass?" Duosion tried to discuss with him pleasantly.
"That is the dumb method. Mr. Stalk said that you should use Psychic to block the holes with sand. It's not against the rules." Farfetch'd and Mr. Stalk came up with a better idea.
Duosion looked dumbfounded.
Farfetch'd poked her with Mr. Stalk. "Are you alright?"
"Please don't do that again." Duosion sighed in defeat and used Mr. Stalk's method. This gave them the lead.
Confessional
Duosion: "Great, now I look dumber than a non-living object." She rolled her eyes.
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk wants Duosion gone now. She is just so insensitive toward his feelings."
Team High Expense grabbed their bucket and headed out to the oasis when Team Strong and Weak made their second returning trip. This time, Lucario kept his eyes on Nosepass and made sure he didn't sabotage.
Team Strong and Weak got their second stamp and blazed to the mountain area for their next station.
Team Reticence was currently making their way to Palossand.
Current Standings
Team Psycho Stalkers: 2 stamps
Team Strong and Weak: 2 stamps
Team High Expense: 1 stamp
Team Reticence: 1 stamp
Team Chillhorns: Dead Last
Darmanitan meditated next to the bonsai tree as Heracross struggled all by herself.
"Stupid seafood…" Heracross grumbled to herself. As each second passed by, she grew more desperate. The million would change her life. She needed to do everything for it. Therefore, she decided to gulp down her pride and apologize to Darmanitan.
"Homie boy, I'm sorry. Can you help me?" Heracross didn't sound sincere.
"Zen…" Darmanitan continued his chant. Heracross took a deep breath.
"I'm very sorry, Darmanitan. I should respect your opinion more and listen to you." Heracross sounded a bit sincerer.
Darmanitan opened his eyes. "For eel, homie?" He made a pun.
"Yeah, nice pun by the way." Heracross faked a laugh. She actually thought that it was horrible.
"I got these lines from cartoons and stuff. Glad that you like it." Darmanitan scratched his head sheepishly.
The two soon worked together like a functional team and earned their first stamp.
Confessional
Darmanitan: "I'm glad that the homie got a change of attitude. The principle of zen states that anyone can change."
Heracross: "Homie boy and his stupid cartoons. All I get to watch are streets shows. It's not like I'm jealous of him or anything."
Team Psycho Stalkers reached the summit of Skarmory Mountain. Looking down, they saw Shiinotic sitting in a dunk tank, fully clothed in her casino uniform.
The Psycho Stalkers descended down the mountain a bit until they reached a red line with a basket of balls.
"Nothing to see here. Just ignore me and find Lurantis. She is in front of the gym area." Shiinotic diverted.
"Mr. Stalk wants that stamp first." Farfetch'd picked the ball up and batted it at the target. Ding!
Shiinotic got soaked, spitting out water. Duosion floated over to her and handed her the booklet.
"Can you please wait?" Shiinotic sounded annoyed as she climbed back up to her seat.
Suddenly, the Lucario Express stormed over and blasted the ball like a meteor at the target, sending Shiinotic down into the water again.
"Bah! God, be patient." Shiinotic coughed out water, climbing back up again.
"That's what you interns get for ganging up against me ten episodes ago." Lucario smirked, satisfied.
"Tch." Shiinotic felt irritated as she stamped Duosion's booklet and then Lucario's with an unhappy expression.
The Psycho Stalkers quickly left before Team Strong and Weak, trying to maintain their negligible lead.
Before Lucario left, he ran up to grab another ball and threw it at the target again, laughing mockingly at Shiinotic as he left.
"*beep* jerk." Shiinotic cursed under her breath.
Confessional
Lucario: "Sweet, sweet revenge. This is what I do to my competitors all the time."
Nosepass: "I hate Lucario. That jerk always disrespect our team whenever we lost. Does he want to rub it in our faces that much?"
Team High Expense covered the holes with their bare hands and got just enough water to move on to the other station.
On the other hand, Team Reticence or more accurately, Drifblim struggled to keep water inside the bucket. Apparently, Rhyhorn refused to help her.
"What's wrong with you? Do you want to be eliminated that much? If that is truly the case, I can organize your elimination in the final eight. No need to take me down with you. I really want to win, Rhyhorn. It will make my dream come true." Drifblim eyed him pleadingly.
"Do you think you will get away easily after throwing my little brother into a cave full of beasts?" Rhyhorn questioned with big, penetrating eyes. They didn't even blink for a second. Drifblim looked anxious.
"What are you talking about? The candy wrapper thing? This is a misunderstand-" Drifblim got interrupted.
"Misunderstanding? You think you can trick me? You think that I don't know that you worked with Archeops and Skrelp? You think I don't hear your conversation with Druddigon yesterday? You think that I never see you feeding Nosepass with bullcrap sandwiches? You think I won't be able to connect the dots? You overestimate yourself and underestimate me. You work under the shadows but I work under the deep abyss of hell! We are on a different level." Rhyhorn revealed his knowledge.
Drifblim immediately panicked. "I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry! I just want to eliminate Lucario. I thought that since-"
"Enough with your excuses! Tell you what…" Rhyhorn stepped closer to her intimidatingly. "I have two options for you. One, kiss this island goodbye."
"What is my other choice?" Drifblim trembled as she went through her limited amount of options and scenarios in her head.
"Apologize for your actions publicly and shed tears of penitence and remorse as you do so. Lastly, beg for forgiveness. Only then, I will help us to beat the Chillhorns. Do it now!" Rhyhorn basically forced her.
Drifblim bowed down to the ground. "Dear fellow contestants and especially Nosepass, I apologize sincerely from the bottom of my heart for all the atrocities I committed. I manipulated, lied and backstabbed many of you for my own selfish benefit." Fear was prevalent all over her face.
"Aw, ah!" Drifblim yelled out in pain as Rhyhorn compressed her head with his right, front foot.
"Continue!" Rhyhorn compelled oppressively.
Drifblim shed genuine tears. Not out of penitence but extreme terror. The show meant everything to her. It was a surrealistic dream that turned into reality. How many Pokemon in this world could say that they get to compete in their favorite gameshow? Barely any. To have her life-long dream being stripped away by a madman like Rhyhorn would be outright cruel.
"Everyone, I wish to make amends with you all. From now on, I will have a change of heart. Please just let me stay in this show! It means a lot to me. Wah!" Drifblim cried loudly. Rhyhorn released his foot once he thought it was enough.
Team Reticence finished the second station before Team Chillhorns arrived.
Confessional
Drifblim: Her tears dried. "Rhyhorn, do you think that you will get away after humiliating me in this utmost degrading manner?!" Her face reddened with rage and all of her four arms curled into fists.
Team Strong and Weak recovered their lead with the help of the Lucario Express. They soon found Lurantis in front of the gym area. Around her were papers with giant drawings of a sun, scissors and color pencils.
"You just need to color one drawing and cut it out beautifully so I can take a picture. Nice and easy!" Lurantis explained, readying her camera eagerly.
"Won't you celebrate, weakling? You always complain about the challenges. Isn't this your type of challenge?" Lucario questioned with a mocking smile.
"But I suck at coloring." Nosepass tried to come up with an excuse so that Lucario must work all by himself.
"Pathetic, I guess I need to do everything by myself again." Lucario hurriedly colored the sun with the yellow color.
Team Psycho Stalkers arrived and they helped each other to color despite their differences. Regardless, Lucario was still faster.
Nosepass felt the need to do something. He couldn't let Lucario win. He needed to eliminate both of them for the sake of his big brother.
Nosepass grabbed a scissor and headed over to the drawing.
"Let me help." Nosepass tried to look innocent as Lucario turned to face him.
"Don't mess up or else…" Lucario pressured. Nosepass gulped.
Nosepass cut slowly but carefully at first before 'accidentally' cutting one of the sun's 'spike' out.
"What the *beep*?! I shouldn't have trusted you." Lucario raised his right fist and Nosepass winced. The timid coward dreaded the worst, regretting his action.
"You shouldn't have pressured Nosepass, you jerk! If it's anyone's fault, it's yours!" Duosion suddenly came to his rescue. Nosepass opened his eyes and smiled a little as Lucario lowered his fist.
"Mind your own business." Lucario addressed Duosion as he started all over again.
Confessional
Nosepass: "Wow, I got lucky." He sighed in relief.
Lucario: "Nosepass never wins his own battles. What a feckless, spineless, anemic complete of a failure."
Duosion: "I pity poor Nosepass for having to work with a totalitarian troglodyte like Lucario."
Team High Expense got to Shiinotic's station and the intern immediately appealed for mercy.
"Aromatisse, as a fellow girl, you know how it feels to wear a soaking wet dress right? Please, spare me just this once." Shiinotic pleaded.
"Yeah, I totally get you. Now, I feel guilty." Aromatisse hesitated. Shiinotic thought that she was safe until…
"Aromatisse, you remember that she dumped Decidueye right?" Meowth reminded.
Aromatisse's eyes immediately lit itself on fire. She clutched the ball before spinning to build up energy and power.
"I can explain. Wait!" Shiinotic shook her head and hands rapidly. Sadly, it was too late and the ball struck the target. Loud splashing was heard.
Confessional
Meowth: "Heh-heh, business skills 101."
Aromatisse: "Decidueye is mine!"
Shiinotic: A towel wrapped around her body. "Achoo!" She sneezed. "What have I done wrong to deserve this?" She wondered.
At last, Team Chillhorns reached the second station. Heracross held the bucket as the two speeded to the oasis.
"Homie, I can use my big hands to block the holes." Darmanitan volunteered.
"Great, homie boy. You will do it even though you are a fire type?" Heracross pointed out.
"Homie, I can swim and dive. A bit of water won't do me any harm." Darmanitan assured.
"I believe you. I have faith." Heracross decided to trust him. The two now functioned like a real team. However, was it simply too late?
Heracross drank the water from the oasis as Darmanitan scooped the water.
"Homie, are you done yet?" Darmanitan tapped her back.
"Go right ahead, I'm enjoying the water. I will be right behind you in a sec, okay?" Heracross slacked off. Darmanitan nodded a bit, seemingly confused.
"I thought that she is the competitive one…" Darmanitan mumbled as he carried the bucket over to Palossand.
The fire type tilted it carefully, filling the cylinder up. As a casual Pokeathlon competitor, he could deal with water… to some degree. Along the way, water leaked out a fair amount.
Darmanitan anticipated the results nervously as the constant flow of water stopped mere inches away from the red line. The final few droplets of water couldn't save them from imminent failure.
Palossand squinted his eyes at the cylinder. It was so, so close. The intern was ready to deliver the bad news.
"Did we win?" Heracross suddenly appeared, walking over to the cylinder. Her face was entirely wet with water. Before she looked down…
By pure chance, a few water droplets from her chin went inside the measuring cylinder just enough for them to get the stamp. This was technically allowed as the water was from the oasis. What a shocking miracle.
"Heracross, you are a genius!" Darmanitan praised, thinking that it was intentional on her part.
"I don't understand what you are talking about but I will take it." Heracross looked confused.
Confessional
Heracross: "I'm just thirsty. Did I win this for us somehow?" She asked obliviously.
Darmanitan: "Wow, I can't believe that Heracross could come up with that plan!"
Team Psycho Stalkers cut out the sun and brought it over to Lurantis for her to check. She approved of it and took a picture of them holding the sun.
The camera showed Farfetch'd and Duosion holding each side of the sun unwillingly. They didn't smile or get close to each other. It was a rather awkward, forced photoshoot.
"Come on, smile, be happy!" Lurantis encouraged but neither of them was in the mood.
Lurantis frowned and pressed the button, capturing the uneasy moment. They got the stamp and quickly left to the boxing gym to find Ursaring.
Lucario handed the sun over to Lurantis next. He dragged Nosepass over to take the picture. Lucario held the sun with a solemn expression while Nosepass distanced himself from Lucario.
"Come closer, Nosepass." Lurantis directed. Nosepass shifted slightly, refusing to get any closer to the beast.
Lurantis looked frustrated but she decided to take the picture nonetheless. Once the picture was taken, Lucario slammed the sun down Nosepass' head.
"This is what you get for sabotaging! You want me to lose that much?" Lucario stated his reason for the punishment.
"It was an accident." Nosepass lied, annoyed that the sun got stuck on his body.
"Nosepass, are you a sun ballet dancer? Because you sure do look like one." Lurantis interrupted, changing the subject to something irrelevant.
Nosepass looked down at his body, the sun actually fitted his body like a dress.
"Hahaha…" Lucario rolled on the ground, laughing uncontrollably. Nosepass felt embarrassed, trying to remove the sun only to trip over the paper and fell flat on his face.
Confessional
Lucario: "That's what you get for sabotaging! You think I'm stupid? You need to go out of your way to make that kind of mistake."
Nosepass: "Karma, I guess." He looked down on the ground, face turning pink.
Team High Expense arrived at Lurantis' station. Due to art being Aromatisse's forte, they completed it rather quickly.
Drifblim threw the ball at the target in Shiinotic's station. The superfan was unusually quiet. Rhyhorn continued to observe silently.
Team Chillhorns eventually caught up and received their stamp shortly after Team Reticence.
Current Standings
Team Psycho Stalkers: 4 stamps
Team Strong and Weak: 4 stamps
Team High Expense: 4 stamps
Team Reticence: 3 stamps
Team Chillhorns: 3 stamps
The Psycho Stalkers reached Ursaring's Station first. Inside the boxing gym, it wasn't what everyone expected. No sandbags, no boxing ring. The floor was made out of maple wood planks. The walls were pretty plain with the white color.
What made it special? It was a room filled with wooden Lucario dummies with wheels on his feet. The dummies had these words written on their chests: "I'm ugly."
Seemingly, Ursaring pummeled the hell out of a dummy before he smashed its head into pieces with Hammer Arm.
"Welcome, contestants. This is my station called Ursaring Boxing Barrage. You just need to take turns punching an ugly Lucario dummy until it breaks. However, there are a few rules to keep in mind. First, you two will be at opposite ends of the room. This is what the wheels are for. Second, you will be penalized if you fail to send it across. Third, you will be penalized if you don't take turns to punch. For example, Farfetch'd can't punch it twice. Duosion will need to punch it back to Farfetch'd for him to punch again. Fourth, you will be penalized if you use moves on the dummy. Feel free to bombard me with questions." Ursaring explained.
"I can't properly hit it. Is there any alternative option for me?" Duosion asked.
"Use Psychic on these boxing gloves and beat the hell out of him!" Ursaring showed her a box filled with boxing gloves.
Farfetch'd raised Mr. Stalk up for a question. "Can Mr. Stalk hit Lucario?"
"Of course, I want to see all of you beat the hell out of Lucario!" Ursaring allowed.
Confessional
Duosion: "This will be fun…" She slammed the two boxing gloves together with Psychic.
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk will avenge our fallen soufflés." He sliced thin air.
Lucario heard the explanation and wasn't pleased in the slightest. He thought that Ursaring was incredibly pathetic. A dishonorable coward that fled to fight dummies instead of the real, legendary Lucario. Even when he explained the rules, he tried to avert from Lucario's deadly glare.
The explanation was done and Lucario had a cocky grin on his face. The objective was breaking the dummy, right? There was no need for Nosepass in this case.
"Just go and stand still at the opposite end. I have no need for your incompetence." Lucario ordered.
"You say so, yourself." Nosepass obeyed. He concealed a knowing smirk. Lucario forgot one of the rules.
The professional athlete punched the head off the dummy in one try, smiling victoriously until…
"Sit out for ten minutes! You got penalized for never giving Nosepass an opportunity to hit the dummy." Ursaring adjudicated and Lucario gaped. Team Psycho Stalkers were overjoyed to hear this.
Confessional
Lucario: "How could I be so careless?! Did I get distracted by Ursaring's cowering demeanor? Rah!" He roared in rage.
Nosepass: "That's why he is the weak member of this team." He crossed his arms smugly.
Duosion: "Even though I got outsmarted by that stupid leek stalk, at least I won't be alone anymore. Welcome to the zero-intelligence club, Lucario."
Lucario sat in a corner all by himself while Nosepass sat in a different corner. Ursaring placed a clock down to time their penalty as they waited and waited.
Each passing second was a sorrow to the professional athlete, who watched the Psycho Stalkers battered the dummy back and forth.
Each passing second was a joy to the cowardly saboteur, who anticipated Rhyhorn's arrival excitedly.
Team High Expense arrived and Meowth glanced at Lucario sympathetically.
Soon, Farfetch'd struck the dummy into pieces.
Lucario lost his hope for first place.
Later, Team High Expense broke their dummy.
Lucario felt worried as he stared at the clock. Still one more minute left to go. What a nightmare. Lucario rarely ever got penalized. He read the rules carefully most of the time. Sure, he got penalized from beating Grovyle up but at least that was worth it. This… was a disgrace to his name.
"Penalty's over." Ursaring finally ended this torture. Lucario was ready to destroy the competition.
"Punch as hard as you can!" Lucario shouted at Nosepass in an extremely serious tone. Nosepass nodded apprehensively. In reality, he prepared to sabotage.
Lucario limited his own strength so that the dummy wouldn't break down in one hit. Nosepass only need to send the dummy back to him and everything would be over.
Unfortunately, there was no need for sabotage. Nosepass didn't have enough strength to hit back anyways.
"Take this." Nosepass tackled the dummy feebly, watching it traveling barely any distance.
"*beep*" Lucario threw a fit of anger as they got another penalty.
The two sat on opposite corners once again. Lucario stared daggers into Nosepass' fearful eyes.
Team Reticence soon arrived. The big brother was glad to see the little brother, vice versa. However, they both wanted each other to stay in this game.
"Rhyhorn, please break the dummy, I'm sure Team Strong and Weak can beat the Chillhorns." Drifblim begged before hitting the dummy to him. Rhyhorn didn't seem convinced.
As expected, Rhyhorn just pushed the dummy lazily away from him. This earned Team Reticence their ten minutes penalty. Drifblim's face drowned in despair.
Confessional
Lucario: "Great, now I get what's going on. Nosepass wants Rhyhorn to stay and Rhyhorn wants Nosepass to stay. Either I or Drifblim will be *beep*!"
Ursaring instructed Team High Expense and Team Psycho Stalkers to head to the berry garden for Wimpod's station.
The wimpy coward waited for them there. Next to him was a berry juice stand. Once Team Psycho Stalkers arrived, Wimpod gave them the instructions.
Basically, each of them must find at least one bottle of pills buried in the garden. They could find more if they wanted. Next, they must add the pills to the berry juice and give it to their partner for them to drink.
The pills could either increase or decrease one of their stats extremely drastically. Wimpod advised them to find speed increasing pills as they must race to check in with Skarmory at the beach area.
There were also a few forbidden actions, they couldn't drink the berry juice they made themselves or exchange the pills beforehand. Any violation resulted in a ten-minute penalty.
It was a game of strategy and luck. Would you waste more time to find the rare speed increasing pills or risk it with useless pills?
"Mr. Stalk, do you find anything?" Farfetch'd asked his partner as Duosion rolled her eyes. She quickly removed some dirt with Psychic, finding Sp. Atk increasing pills.
"Just pick the first one you see, Farfetch'd. We are in the lead." Duosion suggested, tired of his Mr. Stalk antics.
Farfetch'd tried to detect the rare pills but soon gave up after only finding speed decreasing pills. The duck decided to pick up a bottle of defense increasing pills.
The Psycho Stalkers finished making their drinks and gave it to each other. After drinking them, Wimpod stamped their booklet and they hurried over to Skarmory.
Team High Expense crossed paths with Team Psycho Stalkers on their way in the garden. They learned the rules of the station and scavenged for the speed increasing pills.
"Let's admit it, we can't beat our competitors without high quality products." Meowth said realistically.
"Yeah, we need those speed pills to beat them in a footrace." Aromatisse agreed.
Meowth had the serendipity to find the speed increasing pills first try.
"I struck gold! I struck gold!" Meowth couldn't control his excitement, jumping up and down.
"Now, I just need to find one." Aromatisse continued her search. After twenty or so attempts, she found a bottle with six blue pills. This meant that it either contained speed increasing or speed decreasing pills.
Aromatisse read the label and sighed. The bottle contained speed decreasing pills again…
As she was about to give up, she tried one more time…
The fairy type widened her eyes.
"Meowth, I found them!" Aromatisse shouted in joy. The two celebrated as they quickly added the pills, exchange the juices and finally enjoyed the invigorating berry beverages.
After receiving their last stamp, they boosted with an insane speed to the beach area.
Confessional
Aromatisse: "I don't mind if Duosion wins but there is nothing wrong with friendly competition. She already got her reward anyways."
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk believes that not going for the speed pills could cause us the reward."
The four in the boxing gym sat in four different corners of the room. Lucario glared furiously at Nosepass. Drifblim grew more and more anxious as her eyes fixed on the clock. The time passed by too slowly.
Nosepass and Rhyhorn faced each other. The brothers communicated through telepathy. (Just kidding, eye contact.) They both conveyed their own messages stubbornly, insisting that the other stay in the game.
"Homie boy, I can't believe that you color the sun light blue!" Suddenly, the four heard a voice. It appeared to be Heracross'.
"Sorry, homie." Darmanitan apologized as the two entered, relieved to see other competitors.
Heracross grinned as they quickly listened to the rules. Darmanitan went over the rules with Heracross again to make sure she understood everything. The beetle nodded and they got the challenge rolling.
"Get wrecked, Lucario!" Heracross punched his ugly face mightily.
"Homie, learn to chill." Darmanitan punched the dummy Lucario back to Heracross.
"My ultimate, super awesome, finishing blow! Hyak!" Heracross announced dramatically as she performed a roundhouse kick and finished the ugly dummy off.
"Awesome, that's what I want to see! Give me your book." Ursaring was having a great time watching the destruction of Lucario dummies.
"Let's go, homie boy!" Heracross dragged Darmanitan out quickly. The homie boy turned to see Lucario one last time with an apologetic smile. Lucario chuckled at such foolishness.
A few moments later, the penalties were over for both teams.
"Don't fail me this time or else you shall incur my wrath." Lucario threatened. The cowardly saboteur gulped, knowing very well that he would fail.
"Rhyhorn, you still got the chance to stay in this game with Nosepass. The last challenge might be something mental, which Heracross struggles at. Please cooperate!" Drifblim clasped her hands together, begging desperately. Rhyhorn's face was indifferent.
Lucario punched the dummy over to Nosepass. The coward tackled full force, knowing that it wasn't enough anyways.
The dummy only traveled halfway.
"*beep*!" Lucario threw an Aura Sphere at the dummy, obliterating it into smithereens.
"Twenty minutes penalty!" Ursaring doubled since Lucario broke two rules. Lucario threw tantrums as he realized his mistake.
Rhyhorn pushed the dummy slightly before crashing into it with Drill Run. He incurred a twenty-minutes penalty for his team as well.
Drifblim was speechless, slumping in her little corner of depression.
Confessional
Drifblim: Tears flowed down her eyes rapidly. "It's over. It's *beep* over! I made the biggest mistake of my life. I shouldn't have provoked Rhyhorn. Idiotic me." She slapped herself out of self-hatred.
Lucario: "Those rock-head brothers are no different from each other. Pathetic saboteurs that betrayed their team like that trash leader Grovyle. Although, I must applaud Rhyhorn for trying to save his little brother. Without him, I would be eliminated by now." A hint of empathy hidden deep in his voice.
Nosepass: "Big brother should win, I can't complete Ursaring's station anyways."
Rhyhorn: "Why can't Nosepass just understand that the longer I stay here, the more my mentality deteriorate?"
Team Psycho Stalkers reached the bonfire. The beach area wasn't far away. They could already taste their victory until they heard thundering footsteps from behind.
"Aromatisse and Meowth are behind us." Duosion turned back swiftly, telling Farfetch'd.
"Let's use the same technique. Mr. Stalk wants a homerun." Farfetch'd grabbed Duosion and batted her immediately without asking her first.
"Ah!" Duosion screamed as her face planted under the sand.
Team High Expense overtook Farfetch'd.
Duosion recovered and pulled her partner with Psychic.
Things were neck and neck. It was too close for a call.
…
…
…
…
"Congratulations, Meowth and Aromatisse, you two won yourself a cardboard crown each! Isn't it rewarding?" Skarmory revealed the prizes. Neither of them looked satisfied.
Confessional
Duosion: "Wow, the prize is worse than ours."
Farfetch'd: "Mr. Stalk has a hunch that our prize is worse. The Hero of Darkness is going to be the worst film of the year."
Meowth: "I wish I can offer loyalty prizes like Skarmory and still have one customer left."
Aromatisse: "Cardboard crown is bottom tier. I'm not happy, Skarmory." She looked displeased.
Skarmory: "Do you all seriously expect me to give expensive prizes like free trips to these kids? Ridiculous. It will distract them from the million." He made a poor excuse.
Ursaring received a call from Skarmory and exited the boxing gym temporarily. Apparently, Skarmory told him to put the two teams on deathmatch since Team Chillhorns already checked in for third place.
Ursaring clapped to get all of their attention. "Both teams, come and get a stamp. You four will duel it out in Wimpod's station over at the berry garden. Same rule still applies, the first team to reach Skarmory will be safe."
"Yes! Prepare to get decimated, losers!" Lucario celebrated while Drifblim cried a river of agony.
"I'm finished." Drifblim said hopelessly, sniffling. She knew that Rhyhorn would throw the challenge to keep Nosepass safe.
"Cry and cry some more! This is what you *beep* get for pairing me with Nosepass!" Lucario worsened the situation for Drifblim.
Rhyhorn started feeling a bit sorry for her. He was shocked that she cried so much over a gameshow. Those tears were genuine as well. No one broke down this much emotionally when they were about to be eliminated like Drifblim.
"Who cares? I volunteer myself to eliminate you. Drifblim just help me to get that chance!" Nosepass told.
Drifblim was honestly surprised to see Nosepass softening the blow for her like that. She thought that it was foolish of him.
"So, you are the mastermind? A pitiful little coward like you? Someone that is weaker than a Magikarp? Don't make me laugh. Even if you somehow manage to find that reckless impulse to challenge me, I will crush you like I crush everyone else." Lucario scoffed.
"Big brother, you need to take us down. Please, can't I ask this simple favor of you?" Nosepass requested.
"…Nosepass…" Rhyhorn seemed indecisive.
"Gang up on me if you all want, I can still mop the floor with all of you. Especially you, Nosepass." Lucario had a grin of overconfidence.
Nosepass looked terrified.
Confessional
Rhyhorn: "If you insist… Nosepass, I will take Lucario down. Mark my words."
The Lucario Express transported Nosepass over to the berry garden in a flash. Rhyhorn ran as fast as he could. Upon seeing Rhyhorn's change of heart, Drifblim wiped her tears away.
Wimpod explained the challenge to Team Strong and Weak. Lucario nodded while Nosepass took the opportunity to sneak away quietly.
"Easy as hell." Lucario burned through the challenge quickly. He didn't bother finding the speed pills since Nosepass' speed wouldn't matter. He put Sp. Def decreasing pills in the berry juice.
However, he met with one single problem… Nosepass disappeared.
"Where the hell is he?!" Lucario boiled. The beast stomped intimidatingly over to Wimpod. The intern quivered.
"Did you see him? Answer quickly!" Lucario demanded.
"I d-don't k-know." Wimpod stuttered.
"Useless!" Lucario yelled at him, wasting his time to search for Nosepass. The professional athlete really regretted not taking aura reading classes now.
Team Reticence arrived and hope lit itself in Drifblim's eyes again once she witnessed the situation.
"Rhyhorn, hurry!" Drifblim scrambled around to find the pills.
"Aha, there you are!" Lucario found Nosepass hiding under the berry juice stand.
Rhyhorn used his horn to dig underground.
Lucario squeezed Nosepass' hands tightly. "Don't make me beat you up!" Lucario shouted threateningly. Nosepass submitted to his cowardice and reluctantly searched for the pills.
Drifblim found a bottle of attack increasing pills.
Nosepass found a bottle of speed decreasing pills.
Rhyhorn found a bottle of Sp. Atk decreasing pills.
Drifblim gave her berry juice to Rhyhorn, who exchanged his with hers.
Nosepass found another bottle. This time, it contained defense decreasing pills. The cowardly saboteur added both inside the berry juice before handing it to Lucario.
"You don't want to sabotage me one more time, Nosepass…" Lucario warned, his red devilish eyes consumed Nosepass like a blackhole. The cowardly saboteur regretted living that moment. He was an impulsive, reckless idiot to sabotage Lucario. Just because Lucario didn't beat him up badly didn't mean that he wouldn't soon.
The professional athlete drank the entire cup and felt weakened severely. Nosepass had done it now. He crossed the line.
"*beep*, *beep*, beep*! I warn you how many *beep* times?! You deserve to be punished harshly for your treacherous disobedience!" Lucario punched Nosepass' nose hard. There was even a cracking sound. His nose bled. Wimpod quickly called Skarmory for the tranquilizers. Drifblim felt exhilarated and petrified at the same time.
"Eek! Blood! Wah!" Nosepass screeched in agony, crying from the pain.
Lucario had done it now.
"Die!" Rhyhorn charged at Lucario with his full speed, hyperventilating. Nosepass' blood gave him flashbacks of the death of his parents. It haunted him; It traumatized him. Worst of all, it drove him insane.
The chains that locked his psychopathy broke under the red light of his bloody iris. His eyes were like blood moons. Black and red aura surrounded him. Suddenly, a mysterious light enveloped his entire body.
Rhyhorn evolved into Rhydon. He still charged with four of his legs, however. Soon, his body transformed into a drill. Rhydon used Drill Run to strike Lucario by surprise.
"Grah." Lucario groaned as he took the blunt force of the attack. The professional athlete quickly recovered and jumped up, believing that Rhydon got no range attacks.
Lucario was wrong. Rhydon used Smack Down, throwing a rock at him. Since Lucario's mobility got severely reduced by the pills, he couldn't dodge. The professional athlete fell down to the ground. How the mighty have fallen…
"Suffer in hell!" Rhydon charged up Hammer Arm and started pulverizing Lucario. The professional athlete tried to block to no avail.
"Ah!" Lucario yelled in pain as Rhydon dealt blow after blow. The strongest contestant turned into a bloody mess thanks to the defense decreasing pills.
Ironically, Rhydon turned into the mysterious being in front of Nosepass' fragile eyes. The little brother was too innocent to witness such sickening gore. He hated Lucario, true. However, he didn't want the professional athlete to die. Nosepass felt like he owed Rhydon for protecting him. However, that was all he felt. The impulsive need to repay Rhydon. Their brotherly love… got reduced into gratitude. The big brother he knew… wasn't there anymore.
"Stop!" Nosepass tried to cease the fight. Rhydon slowed down his hyperventilation and stared at his bloody hands. Lucario's body got censored out.
Skarmory flew in urgently to check the situation. He was horrified at the sight of Lucario's body. If it was someone else, Rhydon would commit an actual murder. He was lucky that it was the beast he crippled.
Skarmory clicked his tongue and shook his head in despise at Rhydon. "Rhydon, you are disqualified for severely injuring a contestant. Lucario has the right to press charges against you. You take tenth place. Lucario, you will be medically evacuated. It is for your own safety. You take ninth place." Skarmory soon broadcasted the announcement all over the island. He even called a boat instead of a Lapras for this emergency occasion.
Final Confessional & Confessional
Lucario: "To go out because of medical reasons… This is the most humiliating moment in my entire life." He got a full body cast.
Rhydon: "Nosepass, viewers, everyone, forget about me. This is why you should never associate yourself with a psychopath. I should have eliminated myself sooner to prevent something sick like this. Someone like me belongs in a mental asylum."
Nosepass: A piece of tissue got inserted inside his nose. "Compare to Lucario, I will be alright. Big brother, sometimes I really do wonder if I'm stupid for being with you. I got my answer now. No. Even if you are insane, I wish to be by your side. You p-protect me after all." His words felt… forced.
Drifblim: "I wonder if the viewers will be pleased to watch such an unexpected, twisted ending. Don't get me wrong, I don't wish any harm upon Lucario. I actually wish for less blood and gore. These injuries are too real. I feel like the viewers won't understand unless they actually experience it themselves." She sounded a bit guilty. Deep inside, she liked the seldom ending.
Lucario got lifted up into the boat with the help of Chef Drapion and Abomasnow. He was placed gently on a hospital bed. The injured beast gazed into the sky. The sun slowly set.
"Homie, are you alright?! Please be safe! Don't leave me…" Darmanitan shouted out in anxiety, his eyes were watery.
"Haha, you think I will die? Don't degrade me. I will live, Darmanitan. I guess I will just chill for a while. It will be like a vacation." Lucario assured.
"Sorry, homie." Darmanitan eyed him apologetically. Lucario chuckled. Same, old Darmanitan.
"My bodyguard! I hereby grant you sick leave. You will still receive your pay. Fear not, I contacted many world-class doctors from all over the main lands to tend to your wounds. I can guarantee that you will recover before the next Pokeathlon event." Meowth appeared, easing his worries.
"Thank you, Meowth. I'm sorry for not being able to protect you anymore." Lucario apologized.
"No, Lucario, I'm the one that should apologize. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't push yourself so hard." Meowth averted his eyes, feeling guilty.
"I guess only the two of you will be here to see me off. Everyone else hates me, don't they?" Lucario questioned.
Meowth shook his head. Lucario looked confused. One after another…
"Lucario, take care of your body." Aromatisse advised. "You don't want to actually look like that dummy, do you?"
"Troglodyte, no matter how much I hate you, medical reasons are serious and I sympathize with your situation." Duosion cared for Lucario's health.
"Lucario, you are the man. The strongest. I'm kind of jealous of your strength. I know that you will beat that stupid injury up just fine." Heracross had faith, admiration and confidence in him.
"Mr. Stalk respects your strength. He wants you to get well soon. Me too." Farfetch'd delivered their messages.
"Lucario, you are one of the most dominant, overbearing and complex personality I have ever witnessed in this game. While I'm glad that you are gone, I wish for you to go out in better shape." Drifblim came as well.
"Why are you all here, especially the Crazy Crawdaunt members? I thought you all hate me. I thought a farewell like this is reserved for someone like Houndour." Lucario questioned in astonishment.
"Not at all homie! You are our leader! You mean a lot to us. Without you, the Flygon will never have this day." Darmanitan told.
"Even if I hate your dictatorship, you possess a few good leadership qualities." Duosion admitted.
"Mr. Stalk wants to tell you that you should respect your competitors. They are there to help you become stronger. We should uphold a fair and respectful spirit of competition. You are indeed a worthy opponent that we will miss the opportunity to challenge." Farfetch'd spoke in Mr. Stalk's stead.
"Lucario, you always have the best intention for our team. It's my fault. I misguided you. I'm the one who convinced you to eliminate Houndour. I cause all of this mess. Without me, you would still have all of your teammates." Meowth confessed guiltily. He didn't care that everyone was listening.
"Meowth, nothing would change. I would still go for Houndour any day. Don't blame yourself. It was my fault. I was blinded for so long. I only care for my team but I never see the miserable faces of my teammates. I realize it now." Lucario sobbed, touched that everyone came to see him off like this. Touched that everyone gave him nice farewell messages. Touched that the Crazy Crawdaunt members cared about him even though he was such a huge jerk to them.
"Homie, before you leave… I want to ask you something. It bugs me for a while now. Why did you cast me aside for a single vote? It's very unlike you." Darmanitan asked, getting it off his chest. Meowth was about to put the blame on himself until…
Lucario pushed himself in an upright position. Even in this pitiful state, the beast still had enough in him to move. Lucario placed his right arm on Darmanitan's cheek. The homie boy held the arm to support him.
"Because I don't want you to suffer, Darmanitan. Every day, all I see was others distancing themselves from you, even being rude to you because of me. You are too soft-hearted. It is just not suitable for someone like you to be with a beast like me. I don't want to change you into a beast either. It is for the best if you move on." Lucario answered. Darmanitan wept.
"Darmanitan, don't cry." Lucario used his injured right arm to wipe the fanboy's tears away. "I believe that you can win this game. You are only limiting your own chances by being with me. Win for me and for the glory of the Feckless Flygon. You too, Meowth."
"Homie, I'm sorry that it ends like this. I'm sorry…" Darmanitan tried to hold his tears in.
Skarmory landed on the dock. "Everyone, I believe it is for the best if you all leave now. Give Lucario his well-deserved rest." He suggested.
Everyone soon left, Meowth and Darmanitan turned back one last time to see Lucario staring at the orange glow of the sun, smiling. The two smiled as well as they left.
"Lucario, do you want to press charges against Rhydon?" Skarmory asked the important question. Lucario pondered for quite some time.
Confessional
Meowth: "Drifblim, I will force you out of business for hurting my bodyguard. All of this happened because of you."
Darmanitan: "I need to focus and try to be a bit more serious. I need to win this game for the homie. Not only will it show the world that the homie is a good leader, I want him to see that you don't need to be that competitive to win this game."
Drifblim: "Meowth came clean I see… He isn't trying to save face anymore. When businesses come clean, it means that they are desperate."
Rhydon boarded the boat. Nosepass came to see him off.
"Big brother I…" Nosepass tried to find the courage inside him to just say 'You won't be alone anymore. I will be there by your side even if you are insane. I will still be your little brother. I will be strong for you.'
However, Nosepass couldn't. Deep inside, he was still scared of Rhydon. He feared for his safety the most. He hated himself.
"Nosepass, I want you to win this game. In my secret base, I left something there. Use it. Forget about me, alright?" Rhydon kept their parting ceremony very short. He didn't want to make it too emotional.
"Alright." Nosepass obeyed with his head down. Rhydon rubbed Nosepass' head a little, it reminded him of what his father used to do. A melancholic, nostalgic tear fell down from his left eye.
Nosepass saw it but didn't make a comment. The boat departed and it was too late to say anything else.
"Stupid impulse, you aren't there to help me…" Nosepass muttered and left the dock.
Confessional
Nosepass: "I head down to check the giant paper he left for me. Sadly, the handwriting was so bad that I couldn't read it."
Out in the ocean…
"So, you didn't press the charges against me, why?" Rhydon asked, baffled.
"Because you did what you did to protect a little brother. I got one as well. I know how it feels. Other than that, you are brave enough to rise up against me. Not many can do that. This won't affect my career much since Meowth already contacted the doctors. You are lucky, Rhydon." Lucario explained.
Rhydon nodded, turning to face the retreating sun. Lucario did the same.
"Do you think I'm a good leader?" Lucario asked out of the blue.
"You? A good leader but a bad Pokemon." Rhydon gave his opinion.
"I will take that as a compliment. You sure calm down quickly." Lucario remarked.
"Takes a lot of effort to regulate my sanity." Rhydon replied.
"Try not to suddenly murder me. I'm sure Nosepass doesn't want that." Lucario said jokingly.
"Still got time to joke when you are crippled? You really are something, Lucario." Rhydon was amused.
"Everyone lightened my mood before I departed. That's all." Lucario ended the conversation as the sun soon left them.
Many memories flashed through his mind. Bad times and good times.
He remembered the time he started the first party and how much fun everyone had. The countless times he shouted and yelled at his teammates. The times they discussed their team strategy cohesively. The time he refused to take the advantage without his teammates. The team he was willing to sacrifice his exemption in the fear challenge. The time he saved Aromatisse from the torrential stream. The time he eliminated Houndour and turned everyone against him.
Most importantly, the time he got to share with Darmanitan and Meowth. His fanboy and friend respectively. Lucario smiled throughout as the boat disappeared in the distance. The dark blue water resonated with his aura.
After dinner, Skarmory had a sudden announcement.
"Contestants, tomorrow is the loved ones visit day! Isn't that great? You will get to compete with your loved one. No more automatic elimination as well. Please come to Skarmory Shop and tell me who you want to contact.
Confessional
Duosion: "Finally, I will get to see my boyfriend Houndour again! One hundred percent chance."
Farfetch'd: "Finally, I will get to see Swanna again! Mr. Stalk, are you happy?" He shook Mr. Stalk a little. "He is happy."
Nosepass: "Does Hickery-o still like me? What if she finds out that I'm a total loser?"
Darmanitan: "My boy Machoke is back in the island, homies."
Heracross: "Miltank, let's crush those losers with our might!"
Aromatisse: "Florges compete with me in beauty contests and pageants for a long time together."
Meowth: "My assistant Nidoking will prove to be a huge asset in securing my victory and steamroll over Drifblim's business."
Drifblim: "I will keep mine a surprise for now. I got something else to do…"
Nosepass fretted on the bench about the loved ones visit. He didn't know how he should act around her. Should he try to look cool? Should he try to look strong? Should he just be himself?
Drifblim saw that Nosepass was visibly anxious and approached him with a rolled-up newspaper.
"Nervous?" Drifblim sat next to him.
"Yeah, why do you have a newspaper with you?" Nosepass asked back.
"I will tell you soon enough. Tell me why you are nervous first." Drifblim wanted to get a better idea of his trouble.
"Well, I want to impress this Hakamo-o girl that I will call over for tomorrow. I don't want to mess up. I even practice confessing for ages but it didn't help." Nosepass told.
"I can offer you some advice. She is from a pseudo-legendary line. I expect her to like someone who is powerful, strong and confident." Drifblim started planting her seed.
"Yeah, but I'm none of those things." Nosepass sounded disappointed in himself.
"You can start now. It's not too late. You just need to win tomorrow's challenge. However, I doubt that you can do it with Farfetch'd around. Let's admit it. After Lucario, Farfetch'd is the biggest physical threat. Darmanitan and Heracross might be stronger but they got less brains. Besides, they are a team of two. How unfair." Drifblim used her persuasive voice.
"Yeah, I wish that I can knock him down a peg." Nosepass agreed.
"I got an easy solution for you, Nosepass. We are kind of like partners in crime after the whole Lucario thing. Let's help each other to get to the final two, shall we?" Drifblim handed the rolled-up newspaper to him.
"What do you want me to do with this?" Nosepass looked confused, staring at the newspaper.
"I want you to take Mr. Stalk away from Farfetch'd. Unfortunately, he probably will be able to detect you stealing his trusty partner. Therefore, we need to use some psychology. Remember his drama from yesterday? Did you watch it?" Drifblim asked.
"Of course, he had a… newspaper." Nosepass had a moment of sudden realization. He smirked with Drifblim.
Confessional
Nosepass: "Wow, Drifblim is a genius. She wants me to switch the newspaper with Mr. Stalk. Since Farfetch'd has felt it before, it will feel familiar like Mr. Stalk."
Drifblim: "Rhydon, this is revenge for the humiliation you made me suffer through today. I will turn Nosepass into a monster. Just you watch. That gullible coward is extremely easy to manipulate."
In the dark, lightless night, a shadowy figure sneaked up to Farfetch'd. It was Nosepass, who allowed the darkness to seep through his fragile heart.
Farfetch'd held Mr. Stalk with his left wing, twisting and turning a little.
Nosepass tried to insert the newspaper through his left wing. However, Farfetch'd twisted away. Nosepass quickly retreated.
"Swanna, I miss you…" Farfetch'd sleep-talked. Nosepass' heart skipped a beat but he continued nonetheless.
The shadowy saboteur inserted the newspaper through his left wing and pulled Mr. Stalk out little by little. It budged more and more until Nosepass got hold of it.
The shadowy saboteur quickly fled the Crazy Crawdaunt boys' cabin and traveled quickly to his big brother's secret base.
Nosepass threw Mr. Stalk down the secret base and covered the entrance with a rock before he left. The coward accepted his pitiful hatred. He no longer wanted to be weak, scared and pathetic. This was the proof of his 'bravery'.
The timid coward now turned into the shadowy saboteur.
Before he was about to enter the Crazy Crawdaunt boys' cabin to sleep, he bumped into Duosion along the way.
"Why are you up late at night?" Duosion asked, feeling suspicious.
"Nothing, what about you?" Nosepass parried the question.
"Oh, I just have trouble sleeping. I wonder whether or not Houndour will still be happy with me after he learns about my actions in this game. After contemplating about it, I got my answer." Duosion told.
"What is your answer?" Nosepass asked curiously.
"Of course, he will be happy. I know that he will accept me just the way I'm." Duosion's words guilt-tripped Nosepass. The 'shadowy saboteur' lowered his head.
"Nosepass, are you okay?" Duosion asked in concern.
"I just need some sleep." Nosepass kept his reply short and entered his cabin. Duosion shrugged before leaving to sleep as well.
Nosepass had nasty nightmares that night.
Placements
1st Team High Expense
2nd Team Psycho Stalkers
3rd Team Chillhorns
Safe: Drifblim, Nosepass
Eliminated: Lucario, Rhydon
This chapter has ton of foreshadowing. Try to find them all.
Two male and female Crazy Crawdaunt members left. Two male and female Feckless Flygon members left. Coincidence? Maybe.
Anyways, I got something I want to get off my chest for quite a while now. I'm thinking about focusing mainly on writing Total Pokemon Island content for all of you.
The thing is my other series are rather unpopular and I start to doubt my ability to write them. At first, I thought about writing multiple stories all at once but I will just be overworking myself. What I want to know is what do you all want?
Are you desperate or feel impatient for season 2 of TSI? I already created the entire cast and plot points for the main characters. It is looking really good so far.
Or do you want me to focus on other series like Desire or Pokemon Mystery Dungeon? I beg all of you to voice your opinion in the review. I thought about creating a poll but I want to hear all of your actual thoughts on the matter instead.